M took us to see the replica of Michelangelo's David. The original has been moved inside for protection (and so they can charge 15 euro to see it). However, what is still in front of the Palace Vecchio is an exact replica. Michelangelo dissected human bodies and studied Roman statues to be able to do the design. I was amazed at the veins on David's hands. Apparently there are enough people tacky enough for the souvenir shops to sell magnets of David's privates. This shouldn't surprise me given the number of people who ask for magnets of Dolly Parton's boobs. There are 20 something other statues in the square, only three of which are replicas. I plan to go look at the others closer tomorrow afternoon.
Next we walked through the Uffizi, office buildings that have been transformed into an art museum. Okay, we walked through the courtyard. In crevasses along the walk are statues of famous residents of Florence including Machiavelli, Amerigo Vespucci, Galileo, and several Medici's.
Our next stop was Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence and the only one not blown up by the Nazis on their retreat from Italy. The German consulate convinced the army not to destroy the Ponte Vecchio. Today, it is lined with jewelry shops, but it used to be butcher shops.
We walked up the street, learning different things about the city's past as we went. We stopped at the Duomo and Baptistery. All I can say is WOW! I have visited a lot of churches in my travels, but I don't think I've ever see anything like the Duomo. The Baptistery is the older building, but it's draw is the Gates of Paradise, which tell the Old and New Testament in 10 panels on 3 sets of doors, or gates. M pointed out that when the Baptistery was built, the majority of the population could not read, so images was how they learned the Bible.
I can't describe the Duomo, so you'll either have to look it up or wait for pictures. It is an extraordinary marble Gothic cathedral. Three colors of marble are used - white from Florence, green from Prato, and pink from Sienna. I suppose the marble is what makes then Duomo so different from anything I've seen before. Notre Dame, Westminster, York, Strasbourg, it's all made from stone. Perhaps the church in Sofia was marble, but not as intricate or breathtaking as this. We went inside, and again lost our breath looking at the magnificent cupola, painted with a scene of judgement, complete with people being cast into hell. Of course, this is the city of Dante and his Inferno, even if he did write it after he had been exiled from the city.
Speaking of Dante, that was our next stop. We stopped outside his house and learned a little about him. He is always depicted as being very stern looking. I reminded the girls that they should say Mrs. Murrell's name at that spot. They looked really confused, and I face-palmed before it occurred to them that he was the greatest Italian Renaissance poet. I guess that means I technically said her name there, too.
We finished with another sales pitch, I mean, leather demonstration, I had enough free time for chocolate chip gelato. Liked banana better, but chocolate is still my favorite. Luckily chocolate gelato was part of our supper tonight. That almost makes up for me missing a night of gelato.
We are staying in a little place about thirty minutes from Florence, so we went out and did some walking around after dinner. Especially since it was Saturday night, there was a lot going on. That was one thing I loved about Bulgaria, and I think the same is true for Italy: everybody goes for a walk after dinner. Nothing is fast paced. Friends stroll arm-in-arm. You enjoy a gelato or another snack. (I had some kind of hazelnut bar.) It makes such a lovely conclusion to the night.
Buono Sera
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